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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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Hu orders all-out relief for victims

Troops rushed in to assist the local government in Wenchuan County

— Photo: Xinhua

Rescue efforts: A woman tries to escape from the debris of a building in Dujiangyan, Sichuan Province, on Monday.

BEIJING: President Hu Jintao on Monday ordered large-scale efforts to help those affected by the earthquake that jolted Wenchuan County of south-west China’s Sichuan Province on Monday.

Mr. Hu directed local authorities to rescue the injured as soon as possible and to ensure the safety of people in the quake-hit areas. Premier Wen Jiabao flew into Sichuan on Monday to oversee rescue work.

Mr. Wen said the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council were closely monitoring the relief work. “I believe we can overcome the disaster with the public and military working together,” he said.

China’s earthquake administration had launched a “top-level emergency contingency plan” and would send a 180-member team to Wenchuan for disaster relief. The Chengdu Military Area Command had sent troops too, said military sources.

Tian Yixiang, an officer with the emergency office of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), said the troops will assist the local government in Wenchuan to gauge the current situation and to help with disaster relief work.

The tremors caused by the quake, which measured 7.8 on the Richter Scale, were felt in Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing municipalities, Qinghai, Gansu, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Yunnan, Hunan, Hubei, Yunnan and Jiangsu provinces, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Tibet Autonomous Region.

Tremor in Beijing

A tremor — measuring 3.9 on the Richter Scale — shook high-rise buildings in eastern Beijing. Lisa Wang, a worker in Oriental Plaza in Beijing, said the building was evacuated after the tremor.

“My colleagues, more than 50 people, rushed downstairs from the sixth floor into the plaza in front of the building. A large number of people, other office workers, were already there and more people poured out,” she said.

She said hundreds of people stayed outside for about 15 minutes before returning to their offices.

“I still feel dizzy; I don’t know if it’s just psychological,” said Ms. Wang. “But the situation is generally calm. We are all back to work now,” she said.

The quake was also felt in Tianjin, about an hour’s drive from Beijing.

The epicentre was initially determined to be 39.8 degrees North latitude and 116.8 degrees East longitude, according to the China Seismological Forecast Network. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The National Stadium — Bird’s Nest — for the Olympic Games, which is in the north-eastern Chaoyang, was not affected by the quake, said Li Jiulin, engineer-in-chief for the project.

Mr. Li said quality inspections were being conducted at the venue when the tremor occurred.

No abnormality in the building was detected, he added. He said the Bird’s Nest was designed to endure a quake measuring 8 on the Richter Scale. Beijing’s public transport authorities said traffic was not affected by the tremor.

Rain is forecast over much of the Sichuan Province over the next three days, possibly increasing the difficulties of rescue and relief work. The Meteorological Station said on Monday much of Sichuan would have light or moderate showers . — Xinhua

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